Workplace Romance
by Amarin Rose
Summary: Pairing: Seto–Mai Summary: Set several years in the future, Mai works for Seto. But she's taken some time off recently to care for a new addition in their family. Seto comes home to see his girls and we find out just how a workplace romance works.


**Workplace Romance**

* * *

_Another day, another dollar,_ Seto thought whimsically as he arrived home. _Well, actually, another several hundred thousand yen,_ he corrected himself, closing the door behind him with a silent sigh of relief. It was good to be home. _But considering all the corporate ties I have to America, and how electronic money has become, it doesn't really make any difference what name – or denomination – I use,_ he finally decided. _It all adds up._

Smirking slightly at his private mathematical joke, Seto went looking for his family. With Mokuba attending college now – and as a freshmen, he hadn't had much choice in his classes, so his class schedule was all over the place; half the time his sleep periods weren't even synchronous with the regular days and nights the world at large used – Seto could never be sure when his not-so-little-anymore younger brother would be at home, but he knew of two people who would be…

After a few minutes spent searching the house, he finally found his quarry in the living room – both of them.

Seeing his favorite 'employee' lounging on the couch with her eyes closed, Seto couldn't help but smile at the picture of lazy contentment she made. It was technically favoritism to hire his wife as his secretary; but he'd needed a new one, and at the time they were only dating. It was supposed to be temporary – the job, not the relationship – but she'd worked out so well and did such a good job dealing with the incompetents who worked for him (of which she **definitely** wasn't one) that he couldn't bear to part with her.

"Working hard or hardly working?" Seto drawled as he walked up behind her.

Violet eyes fluttered open and gazed at him, blinking rapidly to dispel the sleepiness her doze had induced in her. She wasn't wearing her glasses, and her contacts weren't in, so it took a few moments for her to make her husband come into focus.

"Taking a break from taking care of **your** daughter," Mai retorted once she could see Seto clearly. She sat up and, slanting a quick glance over to the bassinette opposite her, smiled. Malaysia Rae Kaiba was sleeping like the angel she **wasn't** when she was awake.

"I thought we agreed that if we had a son, he would be mine, and if we had a daughter, **she** would be **yours**?" Seto half-asked, dropping down to sit beside her. "That way the blame was divided along gender lines."

"I've decided that Mokuba counts as **my **son, since you had him to yourself for so long," Mai replied, a smile twinkling in her violet eyes. "And what with you at the office all the time, I take care of Malaysia more than my fair share – as her father, I think it only right that you do **some** parenting, and no, giving her a bath once a week or changing her diaper once a month **doesn't **count – so I think also it's only right that I get to blame my tiredness, and subsequent lag of working, on you."

Seto snorted. "I haven't been working nearly as much as I used to," he pointed out, shifting over to pull her into his arms.

"But you still work more than I do."

"Like that's something to strive for," Seto grumbled.

"True," Mai agreed smoothly, making Seto realize he'd been maneuvered into agreeing that he worked too much.

_Damn. Ah, well…_ "You're one to talk, you know."

"Hmm?"

"Your eight weeks of maternity leave were up almost a month ago, and you **still** haven't come back to work," Seto chided her, lifting her to sit in his lap. "I've gone through five temps, none of which were even **half** as good as you; it's part of the reason I've been working so much lately. You've been slacking off as of late, Valentine."

Mai huffed and poked him in the chest with one perfectly manicured finger. "I'm not a Valentine anymore, **Kaiba**. You would do well to remember your **wife **now."

Seto winced slightly at her strident tones. Old habits died hard – he should know. After they'd gotten married, he'd been trying very hard to switch to calling her Mai all the time instead of by her maiden name. Unfortunately, sometimes he slipped. Thankfully, Mai didn't hold petty grudges.

"And I do **so** have a good work ethic," Mai continued, not giving him time to – or apparently **wanting** him to – apologize. "I give one hundred percent at work," she declared.

Seto raised an eyebrow and one corner of his mouth in a half-smile. _This should be good… _"Oh?"

Giving a disdainful sniff – which still wasn't able to hide the mischief lurking in her eyes – Mai said patronizingly, "Of course. I give fifteen percent on Monday, twenty-five percent on Tuesday, thirty percent on Wednesday, twenty percent on Thursday and five percent on Friday."

Seto blinked. _Huh?_ "But that only adds up to ninety-five percent, Mai!" he objected.

"Five out of four people have problems with fractions," Mai dismissed with a disaffected shrug.

Seto snorted. "My parenting skills, my workaholic attitude, and now fractions… Is there anything you **don't** have a problem with?" he teased her gently.

She gave him a coy look form the corner of her eye, pretending to examine her fingernails with overt interest. "Well…last I checked, I didn't have any problem with romance," she mused thoughtfully, as if only just coming to that realization.

Seto feigned shock. "Mai! In front of the **baby**?" He made a tut-tutting noise. "You wild, wanton woman, you," he chided her, grinning.

Snorting, Mai said, "Actually, I was thinking more like in our bedroom – with the baby monitor's sound turned on one-way so we could hear her if she cries, but she can't hear **us**."

"You are a clever one, aren't you?"

Mai snorted once more. "Just because I **have** them, doesn't mean my looks are what you married me for."

Seto nodded slowly. "True…" he said in a voice that indicated he didn't quite grasp the point Mai was trying to get across to him.

Huffing, Mai decided to be nice and clarify her explanation. "I **do** have a brain, you know."

"And what a naughty one it is," Seto agreed, leering playfully at his wife.

"Only for you, koi," Mai murmured teasingly, pulling him in for a kiss.

"Ditto," Seto whispered right before their lips touched.

Of course, things were **never** that simple…

Five minutes later, Malaysia woke up wanting to be fed, interrupting their impromptu make out session. Seto sighed and reluctantly let Mai up so she could feed their daughter. He didn't think he could take any more of this enforced celibacy. At this rate, the only place he and Mai would ever get some 'romance' in was at work.

He was **really** glad Mai would be coming back to work on Monday.

* * *

THE END


End file.
